


the fire's out but still it burns

by justt_ppeachy



Series: someones out there, sending out flares [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forehead Kisses, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, You Have Been Warned, and he fucking gets one, and if i see a single starker, and they're doing great, ben and may are trying their best, i will be sucker punching you out of existence, ok say it with me now, this is fucking platonic only
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:53:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justt_ppeachy/pseuds/justt_ppeachy
Summary: Ben tightens his grip on the boy before looking up at Tony, almost begging him to soothe his crying nephew.Tony nods to Ben and walks over to his soulmate crying into his uncle's shoulder. “Pete.”Peter's head rolls over his uncle's shoulder before meeting Tony’s eyes. He wiggles slightly, willing Ben to put him down. As he lowers him to the ground, Ben watches Peter throw himself at Tony before his feet even touch the floor, wrapping his arms around his lower waist.“Petey,” Tony said, placing a hand on the boy back. “I’m okay, everything is fine.”Peter didn’t let go of Tony, instead holding on tighter, scared that if he let go then the man would disappear. A sob came out of the boy's mouth as he buried his face into Tony’s stomach.(Or the battle of new york with irondad soulmates)
Relationships: Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: someones out there, sending out flares [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760743
Comments: 40
Kudos: 393





	the fire's out but still it burns

**Author's Note:**

> frankly, the first one is better tbh but anyways here's this  
> be warned, i didn't rewatch avangers for this so almost none of this even reflects canon and i cant say that bothers me
> 
> so for this series, i plan on making a bunch of ficlets that may or may not be out of order in this universe. so buckle in folks cause a lot of shit is gonna change. 
> 
> also its not necessary to read the first one but i highly recommend it. if you haven't read the first one, all you need to know is that soulmates are a thing in this au and if you write on your skin it'll show up on the other. 
> 
> may, ben, and tony are best friends in this fic by the way i don't make the rules

In this day and age, Tony is no longer used to waking up in pain and with a hazy memory of what exactly has happened. He’s mainly sworn off drinking, his major cardiac arrest has decreased to only minor, and no longer being depressingly lonely has done wonders for his mental health. 

However, as he lays in a metal suit against the hard concrete of the city after coming to, he can’t remember how things exactly happened. He went from flying a damn nuke into a wormhole to being on the ground as he stared at a clear sky that was somehow devoid of all aliens and weird metal things as his body ached in ways it hasn’t in a while. 

As his head throbs, Tony watches as his teammates come into view, looming over his place on the ground. They are clearly talking but the words didn’t truly ever reach his mind. He wasn’t very worried about what they were saying anyway. His worry was all directed towards a ten-year-old boy and his aunt and uncle in Queens. 

Making sure Peter is okay, he decided, is priority number one now that the battle is over. Any injuries, damage control, or clean up can be handled _after_ Tony finds out if the person he cares most about is safe and not deathly injured— or injured at all.

“Anyone got a pen?” Tony sat up, searching the five people surrounding him for any sign of a pen. He allowed himself for a moment to think about what could have happened to his soulmate. The city was in ruins and the damage touched every single building. It wasn’t out of the question that something could have happened to him. He quickly pushes these thoughts away though, not allowing himself to panic before he had a real reason to. 

“C’mon guys? Anyone?” Tony huffs, standing up slowly. He didn’t just almost die someone not to have a pen in his time of need.

“Why would any of us have a pen right now, Tony?” Natasha asked. 

“Cause you’d think out of six people, at least one of them would have a pen on them,” Tony grumbles, patting down his pockets, borderline desperate to find something to write with— not that he’d ever show that panic. He needed to make sure Peter was okay before his hysteria closed in on his lungs, squeezing them shut and allowing no air to pass through. 

Natasha rolls her eyes before offering him a pen she seemingly pulled out of nowhere. 

“See, was that so hard?” Tony rolled up his left sleeve, clicking the pen a couple of times as he began to write. 

_‘Are you safe?’_ He wrote in large letters, hoping the size would alert Peter to the message he desperately needed to answer. He rolled down the left arm sleeve, before moving to the right one where Peter would write. He adjusted the sleeve, folding it to where his arm was in complete view before focusing on the markings that found their way onto his arm during the battle. Writing covered from the wrist to his elbow, getting more sloppy up the arm. 

_‘please be careful’_

__

‘watch out for those aliens’ 

__

‘those are aliens right cause they’re coming out of a big hole in the sky.’

__

‘i hope they’re aliens’ 

__

‘what are you carrying?’

__

‘are you heading into that hole?’ 

__

‘Tony where are you? the hole is closing’ 

__

‘please be okay’

__

_‘please be okay’_

The horror of knowing that his soulmate watched him put himself in danger and fall out of the fucking sky overtakes him. Knowing that his ten year old soulmate watched one of the most important people in his life fall to what could have been his death, traumatizing the kid in a way he hoped he never would. 

But as he runs his fingers over the words, he realizes that at least Peter is alive. That’s truthfully all he could ask for, knowing that his boy saw what could have been his ultimate demise. 

He pulled his sleeves down, refusing to feed into the guilt that was already festering in his chest for the worry he knows he caused the younger boy. Composing himself, Tony looked towards his team before putting some type of half-smile onto his face. 

“Before we do anything else, I need to make a pit stop,” Tony said, glancing from each of their faces, looking for any sign of disagreement that he would inevitably ignore and do what he wants anyway. 

~

“Why are we in Queens?” Steve asked, sidestepping around the debris that littered the ground outside a slightly damaged apartment. 

The sight of said apartment did nothing to calm his racing heart as the minorly destructed building could mean anything could have happened. May and Ben should’ve been at work before the battle happened. What if Peter was alone during everything. Alone with no one to protect him and his only comfort was a marker and messages to a soulmate he believed to be dying. 

_There’s no point in panicking until you actually have a reason to,_ he could hear Ben telling him one time Peter went to the emergency room after an asthma attack.

_No reason to panic just yet._

“Important businesses Rogers, you wouldn’t understand,” He says, gesturing towards his suit to stand guard near the entrance of the apartment, ready if it’s needed in any way. 

“Now, I’m going in. You’re all welcome to come inside, I’m sure May and Ben wouldn’t mind.” Tony entered the building, walking towards the stairs. 

“May and Ben?” Clint whispered to Natasha, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, but Natasha only shrugged before following Tony inside the building. 

~

Tony barely glanced at the doors lining the hallway before stopping in front of one 

5B, Natasha observed, noticing how Tony knew the small and dingy apartment building like the back of his hand. She watched as he pulled out a key, he let himself into the apartment. It didn’t take a spy to realize whoever lived here was important to him, but she didn’t know why just yet.

Tony glanced back at the rest of his team, watching their confused expression before they followed him. 

“Peter?” He called out hesitantly, searching the tiny room for a puff of curly brown hair before landing on the woman standing near the kitchen. Glasses covered her red-rimmed eyes as hair fell into her face as she focused on stirring a drink inside of a mug. 

One glance up at the door as it opened was all it took to grab all of her attention as she dropped the spoon she was using inside the mug. 

“Tony,” She breathed out before throwing herself around the counter and running towards him. May threw her arms around Tony, squeezing him as tight as she could. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder for only a moment before pushing herself off of him.

“What the absolute fuck were you thinking?” She moved away from him as an angry expression took over her features.

Oh no, Tony thought, registering that May Parker was finally going to put him out of his misery.

“You asshole! Do you know how much you worried Peter? How much you worried us?” 

“May—“ 

“No. Peter is crying cause he thinks your fucking _dead_.” She glares. 

“Where is he?” Tony asked, having the decency to look ashamed. 

“In his room. Ben’s with him now.”

May softened slightly, all of the anger she had deflating with a single sigh. “I’m going to go get him but don’t think for a second that I’m done yelling at you.” 

She walks towards a door near the back of the apartment before knocking hesitantly. May waits a moment before entering the room and closing the door behind her, not before the sounds of crying fills the room and disappears once again. 

Tony grimaces as he runs his fingers over the sleeve covering the writing, refusing to allow himself to spiral into his own remorse when Peter needs him.

~

The door to Peter’s bedroom opens twenty whole minutes later as May walks out first, before Ben follows, carrying a boy in his arms. His head was buried in his uncle's shoulder as his chest moved with silent sobs. 

Ben tightens his grip on the boy before looking up at Tony, almost begging him to soothe his crying nephew.

Tony nods to Ben and walks over to his soulmate crying into his uncle's shoulder. “Pete.” 

Peter's head rolls over his uncle's shoulder before meeting Tony’s eyes. He wiggles slightly, willing Ben to put him down. As he lowers him to the ground, Ben watches Peter throw himself at Tony before his feet even touch the floor, wrapping his arms around his lower waist. 

“Petey,” Tony said, placing a hand on the boy back. “I’m okay, everything is fine.” 

Peter didn’t let go of Tony, instead holding on tighter, scared that if he let go then the man would disappear. A sob came out of the boy's mouth as he buried his face into Tony’s stomach. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Tony wraps an arm around Peter's head, threading his fingers through the dark curly locks on top of his head. Tony looked towards May and Ben, searching for guidance on how to console the weeping child clinging to him, but Ben simply shrugged, giving a sad smile towards the man.

“Pete, can you look at me?” 

Peter wrapped his arms around Tony tighter, refusing to separate from his soulmate.

“Please?” He asked softly, putting his hands on Peter's arms, rubbing his thumbs up and down as he attempted to calm the boy. 

Peter hesitated before loosening his hold, allowing Tony to grab his shoulders and guide him away from his stomach. 

His bottom lip trembles as tears continue to roll down his face. Tony reaches out, wiping the tears off of his cheek as they continue to fall, leaving stains on his cheeks. His throat tightens as he watches the tears continuously trail down Peter’s face no matter how many times he wipes them.

“Buddy, I’m fine.” 

“But you almost weren’t!” Peter pulls away from Tony’s grip. “You fell out of the sky and you almost— you could’ve—“ He breaks off into a sob, throwing himself against Tony. 

“But I didn’t,” Tony reassured, enveloping the younger back into his arms. “Hey, just look at me. Breathe.”

Peter nodded, relaxing his grip on the man but not completely letting go as he took a deep breath in. 

“There you go,” A delicate expression comes over his face as the boy slowly calms down. He racks a hand through his soulmate’s hair, hoping it comforts Peter. 

This isn’t the first time he wishes the universe had changed its mind and linked Peter to someone else. Connected him to someone who wouldn’t put him through hell on a daily basis. Someone who was a little more stable and a lot less fucked up. For Tony, Peter was the best thing to ever happen to him. 

For Peter, however, Tony could possibly be his ruin.

But pushing himself away would surely destroy the child in his arms, breaking his heart and his soul. So Tony stays, hoping he won’t demolish his childhood and happiness. 

The sobbing eventually stops and turns into sniffling as Tony guides him away from his stomach. 

“There’s those big bambi eyes I love to see.” He says with a smile before moving his hand onto Peter's cheek. The boy beams at Tony’s affection before closing his eyes. 

“Crying took a lot out of you, didn’t it?” 

Peter nodded before clenching his fist towards Tonynas a sign that he wanted to be picked up, which was something he hadn’t done in many years. Peter always got really clingy whenever he was upset, searching for comfort in times of need. Comfort that Tony would never be able to deny him.

Tony smiled before giving in and hoisting him onto his hip. He glances towards the Avengers clustered together in a corner of the small apartment, just now remembering they were there. They looked upon the pair in confusion and disbelief. Tony almost smirked at the group before a small sniff drew his attention back to the child attached to him. 

“Hey bug, how would you like to meet my guest?” Tony asked, bouncing Peter once. 

Peter looked up and scanned over the group standing in his home. “Woah.” 

“Everyone, this is Peter Parker, my soulmate,” He says, not taking his eyes off him. “Peter, this is—“ 

“I know who they are! They’re the Avengers!” He cries, bouncing up and down in Tony’s arms. 

He watches the happiness in his eyes, gleaming and sparkling under the dim light bulbs above their heads as he realizes who was in his apartment. The red was fading from his eyes but his face was still flushed from the sobbing. 

Seeing him happy was one of the best things Tony had ever seen and he’d do anything to keep that glint in his eye and smile on his face. 

“Yeah, they are, bug.” Readjusting his grip on Peter, he kisses the side of his head before the boy lays his head back down on his shoulder. 

Tony can feel the confound stares from his team and the loving glances from May and Ben but ignored them in favor of giving Peter every single ounce of attention he has.

“So, now that we are all acquainted, how about some food,” Tony says, casting his gaze to the rest of the people in the room. “Shawarma anyone? I’ve always wanted to try it.”

~

Rubble from the battle still littered the street, giving Tony a reason to hold onto Peter so he didn’t fall and hurt himself on the debris. That was the only reason he was still carrying the boy, he told himself. 

He continued to tell himself this until Peter demanded to be put down so he could talk to the ‘coolest people in the universe’ (Peters words, not his).

 _‘As if he’s not the coolest out of all of them’,_ he thought bitterly as he walked alone, already missing Peter’s constant rambling. 

“You know, I could never figure out who your soulmate was when I was undercover.” Natasha turned to him as they walked to the shawarma place nearest to the Parker apartment. 

Tony hoped he could wait at least a day before the spy started grilling him but he can’t exactly say he’s surprised that it happened the second they find their way outside. 

“I searched through everything I could get my hands on and nothing ever came up. Even now, everything about that kid is buried. From school reports, family records, and medical info, all of it was just gone. Hell, I almost couldn’t even find a birth certificate.” 

He misses the silence already.

“Where are you going with this, Nat?” Tony sighs, stopping and turning towards Natasha. 

She pauses, studying him as she slowly thinks of the correct thing to say. While Tony was not one to truly lose control of himself in a situation, Natasha took into consideration that his soulmate was a topic the man held close to his chest. The clench of his fist, carefully guarded sleeves, and the closed-off look in his eyes at the slight mention of the boy proved the topic needed to be carefully addressed if it must be discussed at all. 

“You really care about him,” She observed. 

Tony hesitated before scoffing. “Obviously,” He told her, continuing to walk as to not lose sight of Peter skipping ahead of him as the boy chatted to a very overwhelmed Steve Rogers. He struggled to not smile at the sight of Peter before carefully sculpting his features, resorting back to his blank exterior.

“I’m glad you didn’t shut him out. From what I’ve seen, you handle threats to your life better than you handle emotions so this was a nice surprise,” She says before becoming serious once again. 

“But you don’t have to hide how you feel about Peter,” She began, grabbing his wrist to get him to stop again. “Nor do you have to hide him from us. I get wanting to keep your soulmate safe and we can help with that.” 

Natasha smiles sadly at him before letting go of his wrist and continuing to walk. 

Tony falters for a moment and shifts his vision towards his soulmate as Thor lifts him up and places him onto his shoulders. 

“That child can wrap anyone around his little finger,” May said as she and her husband walked up beside Tony. “Especially you. I see the way you look at him and I know you’d do anything for him.” 

“Yeah,” Tony beams, focusing on his soulmate ahead of him. “Yeah, I really would.” 

And with that, Tony catches up with the Asgardian ahead of him and demands he stop hogging his kid.

**Author's Note:**

> so someone take my fucking computer away from me before i write an irondad au in the atla universe so help me god cause im gonna write them as benders if someone doesn’t stop me in like 5 seconds i will do it
> 
> reminder to drink your respect may and ben parker juice just as everyone in this fic drank their love and protect peter parker juice  
> also i figured since i can still pick up my 9 year old nephew, then so could tony and ben so that’s that.
> 
> anyway here is this flaming pile of garbage that i enjoyed writing even if it almost killed me. 
> 
> hope you enjoyed


End file.
